JP2003267158A - Harness connecting structure for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To connect a cabin side harness and an engine room side harness on an engine room side. <P>SOLUTION: When a cockpit module M is installed on a front part of a cabin, a first connector 9 attached on a connector bracket 2 on a front surface of an air conditioning unit 1 is arranged in such a manner of facing a connector insertion hole 16 of a dash panel 15. Thereby, a second connector 18 can be easily fitted to the first connector 9 from the engine room ER side, and the cabin side harness 9 and the engine room side harness 18 can be connected through the first and the second connectors 9 and 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile harness connection structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the case of connecting a passenger compartment side harness arranged in the passenger compartment of an automobile and an engine room side harness arranged in the engine compartment, there is a conventional method, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-328493. As disclosed in the publication, the engine room side harness is pulled out through the left and right side portions of a dash panel that separates the vehicle compartment and the engine room into the vehicle compartment, and the engine room side harness and the vehicle room side harness are provided. And an electrical junction box in which connectors are provided on the front and rear surfaces of the side surface of the dash panel on the passenger compartment side as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-2414. It is fixed in advance, a through hole is provided in the dash panel at a portion corresponding to the front side connector of the electric connection box, and the engine room side harness is passed through the through hole to the front side connector. With connecting to Kuta, those to connect the vehicle compartment side harness on the rear side connector are known.

[0003]

However, in the former structure, the harness on the engine room side has to be pulled out to the vehicle compartment side through the through holes provided on the left and right sides of the dash panel. It is difficult to insert the harness of the above, and when connecting to the harness on the passenger compartment side, both the former and the latter have to make connector connections in a narrow space under the instrument panel in the work space. It gets extremely bad.

Particularly, as in recent years, in the case where the air conditioner unit is sub-assembled to the instrument panel to form a cockpit module and the cockpit module is assembled to the front portion of the vehicle compartment, the above-mentioned connector connecting work is increasingly performed. Since there is no space, connector connection work becomes difficult.

Therefore, the present invention provides a harness connection structure for an automobile, in which the vehicle compartment side harness and the engine room side harness can be easily connected on the engine room side where the working space is relatively easy to take. .

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a connector bracket is integrally formed on the front surface of a cockpit module component sub-assembled to an instrument panel, and the harness on the passenger compartment side is formed on the connector bracket. While installing the first connector provided at the end of
On the dash panel that separates the car room and the engine room,
A connector through hole through which the first connector can be inserted,
When the cockpit module is assembled in the front part of the vehicle compartment, the first connector is arranged so as to face the connector through hole, and the second connector provided at the end of the engine room side harness is arranged from the engine room side to the second connector. The feature is that it can be inserted and fitted in one connector.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the automobile harness connection structure according to the first aspect, the first connector is movable on the connector bracket so as to be positionally adjustable in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction. It is characterized by being attached to.

According to the invention of claim 3, claims 1 and 2 are provided.
In the automobile harness connection structure according to [1],
The connector is characterized in that an insertion guide portion for the second connector is formed.

In the invention of claim 4, claims 1 to 3
In the automobile harness connection structure according to [1],
It is characterized in that the connector and the second connector sandwich the peripheral portion of the connector through hole of the dash panel.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the automobile harness connection structure according to the fourth aspect, when the second connector is fitted and connected to the second connector, both connectors are connected. Thus, a seal member is provided to seal around the connector through hole and around the fitting portions of the both connectors by the surface pressure generated by holding the dash panel.

According to the invention of claim 6, claims 1 to 5 are provided.
In the automobile harness connection structure according to [1],
The connector and the second connector are characterized in that they are connected to each other at the vehicle width direction central portion of the dash panel.

[0012]

According to the invention described in claim 1, when the cockpit module is assembled to the front part of the vehicle compartment, the first connector mounted on the connector bracket on the front surface of the cockpit module component is the connector of the dash panel. By arranging the second connector so as to face the through hole, the second connector can be connected to the first connector from the engine room side having a relatively large working space.
The connector can be easily fitted, and the vehicle compartment side harness and the engine room side harness can be connected via the first and second connectors.

Therefore, it is possible to force an operator to take an uncomfortable posture as in the prior art in which the connection work is performed in the narrow corners on the left and right sides of the engine room and the narrow space under the instrument panel. Without this, the harness connection work can be performed easily and the workability can be further enhanced.

According to the invention of claim 2, claim 1
In addition to the effect of the invention described above, the first connector is movable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the connector through hole of the dash panel to adjust the position, and the first connector is also movable in the front-back direction. Therefore, the assembly error of the cockpit module component can be absorbed, and the first and second connectors can be properly fitted and connected.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects of the invention, the insertion guide of the second connector can be guided by the insertion guide portion provided on the first connector. The work of inserting and fitting the second connector with respect to can be performed more easily.

According to the invention of claim 4, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the inventions of 3 to 3, since the peripheral portion of the connector through hole of the dash panel is clamped by the first and second connectors,
It is possible to improve the support stability of the cockpit module components to the dash panel.

According to the invention of claim 5, claim 4
In addition to the effect of the invention described above, the sealing member is compressed and deformed by the surface pressure when the peripheral edge portion of the connector through hole of the dash panel is clamped by the first and second connectors, and around the connector through hole, and the first and second connectors. (2) It is possible to reliably seal around the fitting portion of the connector.

According to the invention of claim 6, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the inventions of 5 to 5, since the fitting and connecting work of the first and second connectors can be performed at the center portion of the dash panel in the vehicle width direction, it is possible to secure a wider working space and further improve workability. Can be improved.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes an air conditioner unit as a component of a cockpit module. The air conditioner unit 1 is sub-assembled to an instrument panel (not shown) to form a cockpit module M.

On the front surface of the air conditioner unit 1, for example, a pair of upper and lower connector brackets 2 are integrally formed.

Each of the connector brackets 2 has a rectangular shape having a connector insertion port 3 on either the left or right side, for example, the right side, and a window opening 4 continuous with the connector insertion port 3 on the front surface. It is shaped like a box.

On the inner upper and lower surfaces of each connector bracket 2, a guide rail 5 for restricting the fixed position in the front-rear direction of the first connector 9 described below by the upper and lower edges of the window opening 4 and the connector insertion hole 3 are opposite. It is integrally formed with a stopper 6 which is arranged at the side portion on the side and regulates the insertion of the first connector 9.

Further, locking hooks 7 projecting inward are formed opposite to each other at the ends of the upper and lower walls of each connector bracket 2 on the connector insertion port 3 side.

Slits 7a are provided at the front and rear bases of the locking hooks 7 to provide springiness in the vertical direction.

Reference numeral 8 denotes two passenger compartment harnesses arranged in the passenger compartment R, and a first connector 9 inserted and held in the connector bracket 2 is provided at an end of each of the harnesses.

The first connector 9 is formed in a substantially rectangular block shape having a size that can be inserted between the guide rail 5 of the connector bracket 2 and the upper and lower edges of the fenestration 4, and one side of the upper and lower surfaces. A projecting projection 10 is provided which allows the terminal to engage with the engaging hook 7 by passing through the engaging hook 7.

These engaging pieces 10 project obliquely from the upper and lower surfaces of the first connector 9 toward the terminal side thereof at a required opening angle to impart springiness in the vertical direction, and The inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls can be elastically contacted.

Also, an oblong second connector connection port 11 is formed in the lateral direction on the front surface of the first connector 9.
An insertion guide portion 12 projecting outward from the fenestration portion 4 is provided on the periphery thereof.

The first connector 9 is inserted into the connector bracket 2 through the connector insertion port 3 thereof, and the locking pieces 10 pass through the locking hooks 7 by the mutual spring action in the vertical direction, and the terminals are locked by the locking hooks. 7, the connector bracket 2 is pulled out and sub-assembled to the connector bracket 2, and the vertical distance between the upper and lower walls of the connector bracket 2 and the distance between the guide rail 5 and the upper and lower edges of the fenestration portion 4. The front-to-rear distance and the left-to-right distance between the stopper 6 and the locking hook 7 are such that the first connector 9 can be moved by an appropriate amount in the up-down direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction to adjust the position. It is set to be slightly larger than the corresponding dimensions of the first connector 9.

Further, in this embodiment, a boss portion 13 having a screw hole 14 is projectingly provided at a central portion of the second connector connection port 11 of the first connector 9 and a second connector 18 to be described later. A bolt 26 that is screwed into the screw hole 14 is used as the fixing means.

On the other hand, the dash panel 15 which separates the vehicle compartment R from the engine compartment E / R is formed with a connector 9 through hole 16 into which the first connector 9 sub-assembled to the connector bracket 2 can be inserted. is there.

In this embodiment, the insertion guide portion 12 of the first connector 9 penetrates the dash panel 15 so that the front surface of the base portion on which the insertion guide portion 12 is formed is brought into contact with the side surface of the dash panel 15 on the passenger compartment side. Therefore, the connector through hole 1
6 is formed in a lateral oval larger than the outer diameter of the insertion guide portion 12.

The connector through hole 16 is provided at the center of the dash panel 15 in the vehicle width direction in accordance with the position of the air conditioner unit 1A in the cockpit module M. 1
The connector 9 and a second connector 18, which will be described later, can be fitted and connected.

Reference numeral 17 denotes an engine room side harness arranged in the engine rooms E and R, and a second connector 18 is provided at the end thereof.

The second connector 18 is formed in a shape and size that can be fitted into the connector connection port 11 of the first connector 9, and a flange 18a having an L-shaped cross section is formed on the periphery of the back portion thereof. There is.

A recess 19 for receiving the boss portion 13 of the first connector 9 is formed at the center of the connection side end surface of the second connector 18, and a boss portion 20 is projected at the center of the rear surface. The bolt insertion holes 21 are formed so as to penetrate the recesses 19 from the center of the end faces of the boss portions 20.

A seal boot 22 made of an elastic material such as rubber or synthetic resin is attached to the second connector connecting portion of the engine room side harness 17, and the seal boot 22 has an annular flange fitting portion 23 at its end. And the flange fitting portion 23 is connected to the flange 18a of the second connector 18.
It is fitted on and attached to.

Sealing projections 23a and 23b are provided on the end surface and the inner peripheral surface of the flange fitting portion 23, respectively.

The second inside of the seal boot 22 is also used.
A boss portion 24 that abuts the boss portion 20 is formed at a portion of the connector back portion corresponding to the boss portion 20, and a bolt insertion hole 25 concentric with the bolt insertion hole 21 of the second connector 18 is formed in the central portion thereof. Has been formed.

The bolt insertion hole 25 is used for inserting the bolt 2
For example, the peripheral surface is formed in an uneven shape so that 6 can be elastically held.

Next, the process for connecting the vehicle compartment side harness 8 and the engine room side harness 17 in the above embodiment structure will be described.

Prior to assembling the cockpit module M to the front of the passenger compartment, the first connector 9 of the passenger compartment harness 8 is inserted from the connector insertion opening 3 of the connector bracket 2 on the front of the air conditioner unit 1. Then, the first connector 9 is sub-assembled to the air conditioner unit 1 while being held by the connector bracket 2.

Next, the cockpit module M is assembled to the front part of the vehicle compartment through a steering member and a steering mount stay (not shown). At that time, the insertion guide portion of the first connector 9 held by the connector bracket 2 is assembled. 12 is a connector through hole 16 of the dash panel 15
And is arranged close to the dash panel 15.

Then, the second connector 18 of the engine room side harness 17 is passed through the connector through hole 16 of the dash panel 15 from the engine room E / R side, and the second connector 18 is inserted into the insertion guide portion 12 of the first connector 9. And is fitted and connected to the second connector connection port 11.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the bolt insertion holes 21 and 25 of the second connector 18 and the seal boot 22 are formed.
The bolt 26 is inserted through the bolt 26, the bolt 26 is temporarily held by the elasticity of the boss portion 24 of the seal boot 22, and the connection side end portion of the second connector 18 is slightly inserted into the insertion guide portion 12 of the first connector 9. The bolt 26 in the state shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
Then, the first connector 9 and the second connector 18 are provisionally fitted together.

Then, when the first and second connectors 9 and 18 are temporarily fitted together, the two connectors 9 and 18 are integrally displaced in the up-down direction and the left-right direction. Since the position of the first connector 9 with respect to the connector through hole 16 can be adjusted by moving in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, the bolt 16 is screwed and fastened with a predetermined torque after this position adjustment.

Then, as the bolt 16 is screwed into the screw hole 14, the fitting of the first connector 9 and the second connector 18 progresses, and as shown in FIG. It is press-fitted between the outer peripheral surface of the connector 18 and the inner peripheral surface of the flange fitting portion 23 of the seal boot 22, and the connector through hole of the dash panel 15 is formed by the flange 18a of the second connector 18 and the front surface of the first connector 9. The peripheral edge of 16 is clamped, and the flange fitting portion 23 is compressed and deformed between the dash panel 15 and the flange 18a by the surface pressure caused by the clamping, and the flange fitting is also performed between the flange 18a and the insertion guide portion 12. The fitting portion 23 is compressed and deformed to surround the connector through hole 16 and the first and second connectors 9 and 18.
Seal around the fitting part of.

Since the first connector 9 is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the connector bracket 2 by fitting and fixing the first and second connectors 9 and 18 by tightening the bolts 26, the cockpit module M The proper fitting connection fixing of the first and second connectors 9 and 18 is performed regardless of the error in the mounting position in the front-rear direction.

As described above, according to the structure of this embodiment, when the cockpit module M is assembled in the front part of the vehicle compartment, the first one is mounted on the connector bracket 2 on the front surface of the air conditioner unit 1 which is a cockpit module component. By arranging the connector 9 so as to face the connector through hole 16 of the dash panel 15, the second connector 18 can be easily fitted into the first connector 9 from the engine room E / R side, which has a relatively large working space. The harnesses 8 on the passenger compartment side and the harnesses 17 on the engine compartment side can be connected to each other through the first and second connectors 9 and 18, and
Since the fitting and connecting work of the first and second connectors 9 and 18 can be performed at the center portion of the dash panel 15 in the vehicle width direction, a wider working space can be secured.

Therefore, it is possible to force the worker to take an uncomfortable posture as in the prior art which was performing the connecting work in the narrow corners on the left and right sides of the engine room and in the narrow space under the instrument panel. Without this, the harness connection work can be performed easily and the workability can be further enhanced.

Particularly, in this embodiment, the first connector 9 is movably mounted on the connector bracket 2 so as to be positionally adjustable in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction.
Connect the connector 9 to the connector through hole 16 of the dash panel 15.
With respect to the vertical direction, the left-right direction, and the front-back direction, the positions of the air-conditioning unit 1 can be adjusted by adjusting the positions of the air-conditioning unit 1, and the first and second connectors 9 and 18 can be properly fitted and connected. be able to.

Since the insertion guide portion 12 provided on the first connector 9 can guide the insertion of the second connector 18, the work of inserting and fitting the second connector 18 into the first connector 9 can be performed more easily. it can.

Furthermore, since the peripheral edge portion of the connector through hole 16 of the dash panel 15 is sandwiched by the first and second connectors 9 and 18, it is possible to enhance the support stability of the air conditioner unit 1 with respect to the dash panel 15, and With this clamping surface pressure, the flange fitting portion 23 of the seal boot 22, which is a sealing member, is compressed and deformed to reliably seal around the connector through hole 16 and around the fitting portions of the first and second connectors 9 and 18. You can

In the above-described embodiment, the structure in which the first and second connectors 9 and 18 are fastened by the bolt 26 is shown as an example, but in addition to this, a clip structure including, for example, a locking hook and its engaging portion. Can also be adopted, and as the connection procedure of the first and second connectors 9 and 18,
The first connector 9 may be disposed through the connector through hole 16 to expose the second connector connection port 11 on the engine room E / R side, and the second connector 18 may be fitted and connected thereto. .

Further, the connector bracket 2 may be fixed to the air conditioner unit 1 by an appropriate means such as a locking hook.

5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the pipe seal portion 31 of the refrigerant pipe 30 of the air conditioner unit 1 in the first embodiment is shown.
The first connector 9 is attached to the.

The pipe seal part 31 includes a seal base 31A,
An annular seal lip 31B provided on the front surface (peripheral portion)
The socket portion 32 for mounting the first connector is integrally formed on one side of the seal pedestal 31A, and the seal pedestal 31A is effectively used as a connector bracket.

The first connector 9 is inserted from the rear side of the socket portion 32, and the locking hook 33 projecting on the outer periphery of the rear portion falls into and engages with the engaging hole 34 provided at the rear portion of the socket portion 32, thereby It is sub-assembled to the socket portion 32.

On the other hand, the second connector 18 is the peripheral flange 1
8a is provided with an engagement hole 35, and the second connector connection port 11 of the first connector 9 is inserted by inserting from the front side of the socket portion 32.
When it is inserted into the socket, the engaging hole 35 falls into and engages with a locking hook 36 projecting from the outer periphery of the front portion of the socket portion 32 to be fixed.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the air conditioner unit 1 is assembled to the front portion of the vehicle compartment, the refrigerant pipe 30 and the socket portion 32 are connected to the through hole 16a of the dash panel 15,
Insert it into 16b and let it protrude to the engine room E / R side,
The air conditioner unit 1 is fixed to the dash panel 15 with the seal lip 31B being in close contact with the dash panel 15 surface.

Second from the engine room E / R side
As described above, the connector 18 is inserted from the front side of the socket portion 32, inserted and fitted into the first connector 9, and the locking hook 36 and the engagement hole 35 are engaged with each other.
The second connectors 9 and 18 are fixed. These first,
In the present embodiment, the sealing around the fitting portions of the second connectors 9 and 18 is performed by the compression deformation of the seal rubber 37 provided on the outer periphery of the base portion of the second connector 18.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a connector bracket and a first connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view showing a state before fitting a first connector and a second connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing a provisionally fitted state of a first connector and a second connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view showing a fitting connection state of a first connector and a second connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a pipe seal portion according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of fitting and connecting a first connector and a second connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Air conditioner unit (cockpit module component) M ... Cockpit module 2 ... Connector bracket 8 ... Vehicle side harness 9 ... First connector 12 ... Insertion guide part 15 ... Dash panel 16 ... Connector through hole 17 ... Engine room side harness 18 … Second connector 23… Flange fitting part (seal member) of seal boot 31A… Seal pedestal (connector bracket) 32… Socket part

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H01R 13/73 H01R 13/73 A H02G 1/14 H02G 1/14 A 3/38 15/08 Z 15 / 08 3/28 F

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A connector bracket (2) is integrally formed on the front surface of a cockpit module component (1) sub-assembled to an instrument panel, and the connector bracket (2) is provided with an end of a passenger compartment side harness (8). The first connector (9) can be inserted into the dash panel (15) that separates the vehicle compartment (R) from the engine room (ER) while mounting the first connector (9) provided in the section. Connector through hole (16) is provided, and when the cockpit module (M) is assembled in the front part of the vehicle compartment, the first connector (9) is connected to the connector through hole (1).
6), facing the engine room side harness (1
A harness connection structure for an automobile, characterized in that a second connector (18) provided at an end of (7) can be inserted and fitted into the first connector (9) from an engine room (ER) side. 2. The first connector (9) is movably mounted on the connector bracket (2) so as to be positionally adjustable in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction.
The harness connection structure for an automobile described in. 3. The harness connection structure for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the first connector (9) is formed with an insertion guide portion (12) of the second connector (18). 4. A first connector (9) and a second connector (1)
8) and the connector through hole (1) of the dash panel (15)
The harness connection structure for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the peripheral portion (6) is sandwiched. 5. When the second connector (18) is fitted and fixed to the first connector (9) to the second connector (18),
Both connectors (9) and (18) connect the dash panel (1
By pinching 5), the connector through hole (1
6) A harness connection structure for an automobile according to claim 4, further comprising a seal member (23) for sealing the periphery and the periphery of the fitting portions of the connectors (9) and (18). 6. A first connector (9) and a second connector (1)
The vehicle harness connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the dash panel (15) is connected to the vehicle body 8) at a central portion in the vehicle width direction.